Paul .., I always look forward to your shots and narrative.., you are a expert contributor to so many discussions over the years on the Hog .., your unselfish input has helped so many and has not gone un noticed .... I feel lucky to have you as a member on this blog ...

Thank you Dr. Bob, you make me blush. I've tried to focus on practical and actionable feedback supported by demonstrated results. Glad you've enjoyed those contributions.

Thank you John, Bob, Rodwil, NMGal, Ken, Guyserman, Greg! Here in Chicago we get the Blue Angels every other summer alternating with the USAF Thunderbirds. The airshow at Jacksonville was the weekend of the Florida / George game and the Blues performed mid-day on Saturday rather than the end of the day so they could do a flyover at the game. Glad you enjoyed.

Thank you AL13! Glad to bring back the memories. In researching the histories of the US Navy, USMC and the Blue Angels, I ended up with way more historical background content than fit with the images used in the posts. I did become interested in the 8-older types of planes the Blues have used in years past. I really like the shape of the F18s, but your comment has me wondering about the look of the Skyhawk in their many formations. Glad you enjoyed.

I think these were A4D Skyhawks. Smallest aircraft that could carry a nuclear weapon in the 60’s. They were also used to simulate enemy air craft flying out of NAS Oceana, VA Beach,VA in the late 70’s early 80’s. They had markings that resembled Russian aircraft.

I think these were A4D Skyhawks. Smallest aircraft that could carry a nuclear weapon in the 60’s. They were also used to simulate enemy air craft flying out of NAS Oceana, VA Beach,VA in the late 70’s early 80’s. They had markings that resembled Russian aircraft.

P.S. Your photos are beautiful.

Wonderful find! There's a Skyhawk kept at an airfield north of Chicago that usually flies at our airshow. Painted light grey / white, it kind of looks like a flying triangle. The dark blue of these planes makes for a different looking plane. You've prompted me to search for some images of all the plane types and I find the image below. Wiki says the Blue Angels have flown the following:

Wonderful find! There's a Skyhawk kept at an airfield north of Chicago that usually flies at our airshow. Painted light grey / white, it kind of looks like a flying triangle. The dark blue of these planes makes for a different looking plane. You've prompted me to search for some images of all the plane types and I find the image below. Wiki says the Blue Angels have flown the following:

I remember seeing all of them from the Panther on to current times. I lived close to NAS Norfolk and later Oceana VA Beach growing up and of course the Marine Corps. One of the Blue Angles crashed in the Nashville area several years ago while practicing for our air show. Our community decided to build a memorial to him as he ejected at the last minute to avoid homes and apartments finding an unoccupied area. Unfortunately he was to low and didn’t survive. He is a true hero.

Thanks Paul, not sure where my image DSC08007-01 went. I have it on my HD. Anyway thanks for answering my earlier question about your shooting location. I think I will get advanced tickets. This might assure I get a good spot. Thanks again.

Thanks Paul, not sure where my image DSC08007-01 went. I have it on my HD. Anyway thanks for answering my earlier question about your shooting location. I think I will get advanced tickets. This might assure I get a good spot. Thanks again.

Hey James, the URL links are hard-coded text to a specific version of the image. If you decide to replace any of the images, Flickr generates a new unique file name when storing the file and the existing link from UHH becomes an invalid / not-found reference. The URL reference is a header and remains valid for accessing the revised image, but only directly within Flickr.

Hey James, the URL links are hard-coded text to a specific version of the image. If you decide to replace any of the images, Flickr generates a new unique file name when storing the file and the existing link from UHH becomes an invalid / not-found reference. The URL reference is a header and remains valid for accessing the revised image, but only directly within Flickr.

Thanks Paul. I remember something about this. That's means one must not make any adjustments or changes later in Flickr after posting to UHH. Got it.

The Blue Angels were originally formed as the Flight Exhibition Team in March 1946 at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida (NAS JAX) by Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Chester Nimitz, in an effort to raise awareness of naval aviation and boost morale. The team performed their first flight demonstration on June 15, 1946 in Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat aircraft. The squadron was officially redesignated as the United States Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron in December 1974.

Lieutenant Commander Roy Marlin "Butch" Voris, a World War II fighter ace, was named Officer-in-Charge and Flight Leader for the newly formed flight demonstration team. Voris selected other WWII veterans into the team and they spent countless hours in early 1946 developing their airshow maneuvers. The group perfected its initial maneuvers in secret over the Florida Everglades so that, in Voris' words, "if anything happened, just the alligators would know". The team's first demonstration took place before Navy officials on May 10, 1946 and was met with enthusiastic approval.

The team's 1946 demonstration thrilled spectators with low-flying maneuvers performed in tight formations, and (according to Voris) by "keeping something in front of the crowds at all times."

Blue Angel pilots serve two to three years, and position assignments are made according to team needs, pilot experience levels, and career considerations for members. After serving with the squadron, both officers and enlisted personnel return to fleet assignments.

The team leader (#1) is the Commanding Officer and is always a Navy Commander, who may be promoted to Captain mid-tour if approved for Captain by the selection board. Pilots of numbers 2-7 are Navy Lieutenants or Lieutenant Commanders, or Marine Corps Captains or Majors. The number 7 pilot narrates for a year, and then typically flies Opposing and then Lead Solo the following two years, respectively.

Commander Eric C. Doyle, Blue Angels No. 1, has been a commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy since 1996. He was designated a Naval Aviator in 1999 and made two deployments aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. He was selected to attend the Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN) in 2003 and remained as a staff instructor. Following TOPGUN he served aboard the USS Harry S. Truman in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and later aboard the USS Carl Vinson in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. Cmdr Doyle joined the Blue Angels in September 2017 having accumulated more than 3,000 flight hours and more than 600 carrier-arrested landings.

All team members, both officer and enlisted, come from the ranks of regular U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps units. The demonstration pilots and narrator are made up of Navy and USMC Naval Aviators. In the U.S. Navy, most Naval Aviators are unrestricted line officers (URL), eligible for command at sea.

The team flies fighter aircraft which have formerly served in the fleet and are maintained to nearly combat-ready status. Modifications to each aircraft include removal of the weapons and replacement with the tank that contains smoke-oil used in demonstrations, and outfitting with the control stick spring system for more precise aircraft control input. The team has flown the Boeing F/A-18 Hornet since 1986.

The first airshow at the Naval Air Station Jacksonville (NAS JAX) occurred in the 1930s when the station was under control of the Florida National Guard. The first U.S. Navy airshow occurred on October 15, 1945 when the base opened to the citizens of Jacksonville to display the aircraft that had won WWII. This was the only show at NAS Jacksonville where the U.S. Navy Blue Angels did not perform as they has not yet been formed.

The mission of the United States Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron is "To showcase the pride and professionalism of the United States Navy and Marine Corps by inspiring a culture of excellence and service to country through flight demonstrations and community outreach."

The images are sized to fill your wide-screen display. Try using <F11> to maximize your browser window for the full effect. If the images overshoot your display, such as a laptop, just click on the image or the URL link and they'll resize to your screen from the host Flickr site. You can click a bit further into the image details on the Flickr page, if desired. EXIF data is available from the host Flickr pages as well. On the Flickr site, use your <L>key for Large and the <F11> for the full-screen.